When Piero Lissoni designed Alberese he was not thinking only about a system of upholstered components as an end in itself. To create this refined new entry for 2020, the art director of De Padova has drawn on much more profound, subtle suggestions, inspirations with nuanced contours. The resulting conceptual mixtures and interpenetrations raise Alberese to sublime heights of character, making the system into a gateway of ulterior, vast dimensions.
Cradled by the deep seats, on Alberese people tell stories, staging moments of everyday life, savoring a sense of convivial enjoyment while immersing themselves in relaxation. The apparent static character of an upholstered product is overcome by the compositional game of the many parts: single and corner modules, but also chaises longues and ottomans, add rhythm to the space, grouped by an imperceptible magnetism that generates more or less daring geometric arrangements. These islands of comfort are bordered by low backs and ends with armrests at an open angle, like fluid works of architecture.
The romantic ideal of this system lies in its height, never invasive or inappropriate, always discreet and minimal. And in its innate ability to open up wider visuals, infinite horizons (domestic or imaginative), without barriers or visual obstacles. Exactly like the green, natural landscape that gives the system its name: Alberese, in fact, is an uncontaminated region of Tuscan Maremma that matches Mediterranean brushland with endless crystalline coastlines. Nature thus enters this habitat panorama, dominated by harmony and linear clarity.
Piero Lissoni describes it as follows: “Alberese has large cushions; it is comfortable but also elegant. It is named Alberese, after a large slender land, with vividly visible horizons, just like the sofa: a sofa that is seen, but at the same time is very low, welcoming, with very special corners, somewhere between design and architecture.”
In De Padova’s proposal, Alberese establishes a dialogue with the other pieces of the new collection, starting with the Horizontal tables (designed by Time & Style), marked by the contrast of light and color triggered by the combination of brass and marble; or the Sen ottoman (designed by Kensaku Oshiro), a versatile, functional piece whose discreet image emerges from the intersecting game of the metal structure. For a contemporary, personal living area in perfect De Padova style.
Photo © Tommaso Sartori
